CARBONDALE, Ill. -Cory Warren, a former graduate assistant coach with the Southern Illinois University football team who remained with the program as an assistant, died between the late hours Monday night and early Tuesday morning in a single-vehicle accident. Warren, 26, was driving a vehicle on Cedar Creek Road in Carbondale when it struck a tree, went down an embankment and caught fire, police reported. His identity was confirmed Friday.

Warren spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant in charge of outside linebackers on Coach Dale Lennon’s staff. He earned his master’s degree in education in kinesiology at SIU in December 2013 and continued to work on the football staff after graduation.

“It’s certainly a sad day for everyone in the Saluki family,” Lennon said. “Cory was a bright young coach with a great future ahead of him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, family and friends.”

Warren played two seasons as a linebacker at Kansas State and was a member of the Wildcats’ 2006 Texas Bowl team. When a back injury ended his playing career, Warren became a student-assistant coach under head coach Bill Snyder from 2008 to 2010. He graduated from K-State in 2010 with a degree in family studies and human services.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss,” SIU Director of Athletics Mario Moccia said. “We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.”

Warren and his wife, Kris, were married last year and lived in Marion, Ill.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 at West Bourbon Elementary School in Uniontown, Kansas. More information can be found on at konantz-cheney.com.